Avatar: The Dragon Ryu

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For two years both Meena and Min come over to play with Ryu everyday. They all turn six, and eventually seven together. Until the day after Ryu's birthday when Ryu wakes up to Toph banging on the door. "Get up Ryu! Todays the day!"

He has no idea what Toph means but he gets up anyway. He knows better than to sleep past when Toph wakes him up. He still finds sand in his hair. It was even worse because she can sandbend.

Ryu gets dressed then walks out to find Meena and Min in the living room talking on the couch. "Hey guys, Granny Toph got me up. You're here super early today- Toph what time is it?"

"Nine!"

"Yeah, this is the earliest you two have been here.. Why're you looking at me like that? You look like someone just died, did someone die?" They both just sit there, looking at Ryu, neither of them know what to say to Ryu especally since he doesn't know.

"You have to ask Toph." Meena softly smiles at Ryu and signals over to the front door.

Ryu cautiously walks outside over to where Toph is standing. "Min and Meena are acting weird, when I walked out they went from happy to sad, why are they so sad the day after my birthday? Why are you not answering?"

Toph waits for Ryu by a tree. She knows he's not going to like what she plans on telling him, but he needs this. The news she has for him could either be great or horrible for Ryu. She has a feeling that Ryu may be the avatar. But the only person she is able to tell is Cheng. He knows that Ryu is most likely the avatar, so does Ryu. Toph never hid her feeling from him. But she has been keeping the fact she's sending him into a cave for a year and secret.

"Ryu... I have been keeping something from you. I have told you since the day I found you in that house I have had the gut feeling that you are the avatar. I know you don't really know the power the avatar holds. But before you, I had a friend. This friend, a few other friends, and I all saved the world. My friend's name was Aang. He was the avatar. The avatar can use all four bendings. You already know earthbending, but that is the only bending I know, so I will engrave that technique into you. What I learned at age twenty you will learn before you're ten."

"Gran- what are you talking about?? I have no idea what's going on right now- Please, just tell me!" Ryu starts to freak out thinking the worst things. What if something happened to Min or Meena, but he just saw both of them. What about Cheng? Is he alright?

"Ryu, when I was about five years old I ran from my home. I ended up in a cave. That cave is pretty far from here, on the other side of Ba Sing Se but it'll only be about a days journey." Toph thinks for a bit. Ryu will be in the cave for exactly a year. There's a year's worth of food for Ryu already with the badger moles. Toph figures that the badger moles will be the ones to bring him the food.

"What are you saying? Are we going there??"

"Yes. You're going to learn how to use my sight. But what I'm going to teach you to do is use it at all times. It'll be like your thrid eye."

"Oh. That doesn't sound too bad.. Why is everyone acting like I'm leaving for like a whole year..?" The look on Toph's face gives it all away for Ryu. "Wait.. Don't tell me I'm actually leaving for a year? You're lying.. No. I don't want to leave for a year! You can't make me!"

"Beifong Ryu. You have no right yelling like that. You're already seven, the longer we wait for you to get your sense the longer it'll take for you to adapt to it. It's like a language. Babies have a part of their brain where they can learn languages very easily. They obvisually need this to learn their language. If you don't go for a year now, you'll go for two years later. The longer we wait the longer you'll have to stay in the cave. Do you understand me?"

"Yes." Ryu turns around to go back into the house. "I'll go pack my stuff."

When Ryu walks into the house he goes straight to the couch where Meena and Min are still sitting and talking. "You guys knew. Didn't you?" They look at each other then back to Ryu. Meena nods, both of them looking guilty. "Why didn't you tell me then?"

"Ryu.. we couldn't. Toph told us about a week ago that on this day you'd leave. So we came early to play as long as we can." Meena gets off the couch and walks over to the door. "I have to ask Toph something, I'll be right back."

Ryu sits next to Min. He's feeling so many feelings at once he can't even tell what exactly he's feeling. Min has no idea what to say either. He wants to cheer Ryu up, but there's absolutely nothing he can do. "I'm sorry I didnt tell you..."

"I don't wanna leave.." Suddenly tears start rolling down Ryu's cheeks. He uses his hands and arms to try to wipe them off but there's too many. Min rubs Ryu's cheeks and eyes to try to get them to stop crying and it kinda worked. "I don't want to leave you guys.. and if I go I won't be able to see Toph or Cheng. I wont get to see you Min, do you not care?!" Before Min can say anything Ryu jumps off of the couch, runs to his room, and slams the door.

Toph comes stomping in and walks straight up to Min. "Ryu's mad isnt he?"

"Yeah... and I think he blames you.. But deep down he's only scared.." Min stops for a minute to think. "Toph. I haven't told anyone but Meena this but-"

Meena opens the door so abruptly and hard that it slams into the wall. "Min! What were you about to tell Toph?"

"She deserves to know Meena! Toph-"

"Min don't!"

"I'm a fire bender!" Min looks at Toph for a reaction. But her face looks like she's confused.

"Okay?? Why does that matter?" Toph tilts her head slightly, she has no idea why they're making such a big deal about it.

"...Meena said if we tell people they'll not want me.."

"Min, Meena, I travled with a fire bender who taught avatar Aang firebending. He's gone now.. Both of them are, actually. But at first he wanted to kill Aang. Then he changed his desteny. The once banished prince became fire lord. He changed the world. He changed himself. Just because Min is a firebender doesn't mean he wont be loved. Although you might need to find the right people to love you."

As Ryu and Toph leave they say goodbye to Min and Meena. It was sad and tears were shed but Ryu knew Toph wouldn't keep them away when she worked so hard for them to even meet.

"You know... when I was traveling with my friends, we pretty much never walked. We rode an animal called a 'sky bison'. His species is extinct. His name was Appa. He was a kind and gentle soul. Although he was really hard to hide. Too big. And flying on him was annoying. I could barely see!"

Ryu rolls his eyes. "Yeah, you actually had a choice to leave your friends."

"I didnt have any friends to leave. I was trapped in my own body. My parents thought I was just some.. small... fragile, blind, little girl. But I wasn't. I hated the way I was treated."

Ryu looks down. "I'm sorry.. Yelling at you was a mistake."

"Don't be. I don't care. You're a child. You can make mistakes." Toph's stomach growls a low and long rumble. "Let's stop and eat. There's a shop near with not many people but the food smells so good"

"Yeah.. Let's go."